His own way
by JP26
Summary: Hector is not that kind of person who can easily approach any woman. Eliwood noticed this and started to beat around the bush of who had caught his friend's eyes and he can almost smell the romance that is starting to bud. Updated due to requests. 2 parts
1. Chapter 1

_**NOTE: I do not own Fire Emblem and its characters**_

He had been thinking all these time of whether what he really feels for her. He looked over where she is, looking over strategical points their pegasus scouts have reported for their next siege. He looked at her short light brown hair and cool moss green eyes that matches her fair skin which seems to be not suited for a travelling person for a very long time. He didn't know he'd been staring at her for a very long time until his lifelong friend tapped him on the shoulder.

"What's wrong, Hector?" a red-head man said. "You've been spacing out for the past ten minutes already. Is something amiss?"

Hector looked up, startled. "Eliwood!" he said with relief. "Don't startle me like that."

"I didn't startle you." Eliwood replied, bewildered. "I've just noticed that you're not yourself for the past ten minutes. Oswin had been calling your attention, even stood in front of you to snap you out of your reverie, and yet you didn't respond. Just what is wrong, Hector?"

"Nothing..."

"Right, nothing. You wouldn't be spacing out like that if there's nothing amiss." Eliwood said sarcastically. Hector averted his gaze from the woman he'd been staring at hastily and stood up.

"Care to spar with me, Eliwood?"

"Not until you tell me what's bothering you, I won't."

"Don't be stubborn like a child, Eliwood. You know that I will tell you if there is something bothering me."

"Is it a woman?" Eliwood asked inoccently. Hector flushed.

"What made you think it's a woman? And at times like this?" the little lord of Ostia stammered.

"Well, it is in wars that love starts at most." the lord of Pherae shrugged. "Who is it?"

"I told you there's none." Hector insisted.

"Is it Lyndis? Even though she's half Lycian and half Sacaen, she's a true beauty." Eliwood said, making a list of candidate women in their camp who might be his friend's interest. "Or is it shy Florina? I admit she's cute but, to be honest, she's not really my type....or don't tell me it's that cleric of yours, Serra?"

"That's the most horrible thing you've ever suggested, Eliwood." Hector shivered. "Why would I be interested in that loud mouthed of a cleric?"

Eliwood pressed his lips together, thinking hard. "I can't think of anyone else that can be a cadidate for your taste." He admitted. Then he saw his tactician, a woman of great skill and strength, who had supported him after the death of his father and had seen Lyndis safely to Caelin after Lundgren's uprising, packing up her things with her shoulders slouched as though tired.

"Is it her?" Eliwood suddenly asked, making Hector turn around and look to the person his friend is talking about.

"Who?"

"My tactician, Saei."

"Why would you think that she's my type?"

"Well, I'm just surmising things. Don't be mad." Eliwood said. "Saei's good looking inspite of her being distant except for those whom she'd been with during Lyndis's quest of saving Caelin. I admit myself that we're not that even close compared to her relationship to Lyndis."

"It will be a disgrace for the Royal House of Ostia for me to marry a....well...you know..."

"A low life vagabond?" the red head prompted.

"Something like that."

Eliwood turned to look at his friend.

"So, you don't know anything about Saei, do you? Even with the extensive arms of spies."

"As far as we know, she's just a vagabond who's travelling around Elibe to hone her skills. But from where she came from or who her family is, we don't know."

"...I heard that she's been with Bern's top military strategist, who suddenly renounced her position and became a vagabond."

"For what reason?"

Eliwood only shrugged. Then his eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Why are you interested in her story?"

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are."

"No."

"...well, whatever your reason is, there are two things I'm sure about her."

"And that would be?"

"I thought you're not interested?"

"...Ok, fine. Nevermind. Now can we go and spar now...? This waiting is taking its toll on me."

Hector moved to the other direction, followed by Eliwood who is still babbling on his ear.

"Well, for one," Eliwood said as if there was no smart comments between them had happened. "She said that she'd grown tired of being sent here and there to conquer a city or lay siege on an enemy. And second, she came to Lycia to serve under your brother, Lord Uther."

"If she's really that tired, then why is she with us? And what's her decision of renouncing her loyalty to the King of Bern to join a Lycian Lord?"

"She had been serving Bern for how many years, and she never had any chance of meeting anyone with her capacity, except for the strategists of Ostia. But for what real reason, I don't know. Maybe you should ask her."

"You didn't answer my other question." Hector pointed, taking his axe in his hands to weigh it. Having it in his hands makes him more calm as they talk about a woman who had once served Bern and now serve them.

"Yeah well...it's because I'm not really sure if it's true. It's just a hearsay after all."

"What is it?"

"...that she had taken fancy of Lord Uther, because of his valor and tight grip on every lose end. And maybe because of his charisma."

It was a blow to Hector. So she fancied his brother? Would that be the reason why she's pleased to meet his brother in person and had even a private chat with him? Now how is he going to compete with his own brother who has everything she wishes for in a man? He might don't want to admit it to himself, but he's somewhat jealous of his own brother. And before he knew it, he's thinking of ways how to attract her attention....


	2. Chapter 2

_**Note: I do wish I own Fire Emblem and its characters, but sadly...I don't...I own the name of the tactician though...**_

_**This part happened two months later after the talk between Eliwood and Hector prior to the first chapter. Enjoy. n_n**_

Hector sat in his study, scribbling nonsense on a parchment paper he found lying in one part of desk. It was just another boring day at Castle Ostia, with no real fun going on, except for the times when he and Oswin will cross swords during practice. But that time will only come when the General has time, and it's next to impossible. Presiding over Lycia's defense is what was ordered to Oswin, and which he will fulfill until his death. Hector sighed, putting his pen down. Will there be anything will liven up this sad, empty castle? Social parties are just a nuisance and a headache for his Head Chef, for every nobles has different tastes towards foods. And what's more, those nobles will just push their daughters onto him, in hopes of marrying into the Royal Family. But Hector only has his eyes on one woman, though he had lost sight and contact with her the day before his coronation.

"Why so glum, young master?" he heard the familiar voice of Matthew from the doorway. The Lord of Ostia looked up.

"Were you not taught to knock?" he said as Matthew closed the door behind him.

"I did knock several times. And since you do not answer, I came in to check on you."

"Why are you here, anyway?"

"I just thought that you might want any help about Saei's background."

"And why would I want to know about Saei's background? She's not working for me anymore, isn't she?"

"Yeah, well...It won't hurt to know a comrade's background, right?"

"Why suddenly bring this topic up, Matthew?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary." the thief shrugged. But he said to himself, "I already know that you like her, so I'll help you learn more of the woman you love..."

Hector only raised a suspicious eyebrow on him. "Really now, Matthew. I know you're not doing this without any reason."

Matthew blinked. "I'm not doing this for any favor, unless you want to put it that way."

Hector sighed. "I know you want it, why don't you just say your end of the bargain?"

"Very well..." Matthew pursed his lips together, pretending to think. He let the little lord of Ostia wait for his reply for a minute before he replied, "A few weeks off, with pay of course. And keep that cleric away from me. She's starting to irritate me."

"You're talking about Serra? But I thought you like her?"

"Like her?" Matthew almost screamed. "Like the hell I would. You know that Leila is my only love. And why would I fall for someone so loud and...vulgar...and..."

"Okay, okay. I got your point. No need to get into the specifics." Hector sighed. "I'll take your bargain. Just make sure that you're going to give me a good report."

"Of course, my Lord." Matthew bowed. "Now, if you'll excuse me." He turned to leave.

"When will you give in your report?"

"Make it around three weeks." Matthew said. "Or shorter, if my journey will go fine. And if the people will be willing to say anything."

"I'll be counting on you then. And give your report to me personally."

"Yes, my Lord."

Matthew traced back Saei's footsteps, from her departure from Ostia and back to where Lyndis had found her, a year and some months ago. He's quite surprise that the people he came across the way talks about the tactician with jovial faces and tones. They talked about her as a cheerful, yet a clumsy girl who is willing to help everyone. Matthew pondered on this for quite a while. The Saei he knew is calm and collected, distant and quiet. Quite the opposite of the Saei they are talking about. He came across a village somewhere at the border of Bern, where he learned that Saei took her time teaching the children of what she knows before she was found by Lyndis at the Sacaen plains without consciousness. For the past days he'd been travelling, asking around about Saei, he didn't get much informations about her. He was about to return to Ostia when he remembered the conversation between Eliwood and Hector: Saei was working for Bern as their top strategist, but renounced her position and turned to a vagabond. Matthew resolved to pay a visit at the archives of Bern.

"What took you so long, Matthew?" Hector said, irritated. "Your report was suppose to be here two weeks ago."

"I'm sorry, Lord Hector. It was hard to get into the place where all the valuable informations were being kept." Matthew said apologetically. He handed in his report.

"Very well." Hector took out Matthew's report and read through it. He was silent for a moment when he was reading, and Matthew could see that the young master doesn't like what he's reading. When he was finished reading, he placed the report down with a heavy sigh.

"So in the end, I still have no way of winning against you, Uther..." Hector thought.

Matthew pitied his young master, whose only love was snatched by his own brother several years ago. Matthew had uncovered the truth behind Saei's false background she had given them: she said she doesn't have any memory of her past, and is just a travelling tactician, trying to earn money but in truth, she was Ostia's top tactician several years ago before Hector was even born, though her age doesn't show on her face. She was also the promised wife of Uther, an engagement the two of them agreed upon, with the blessings of Uther's parents. However, she had to leave Ostia for a long time, under the orders of Uther's father, and proceed to Bern. For what reasons, Matthew didn't have the time to unearth...


End file.
